Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

The latest Clay Shaw Butler Money Matters column from the Carmarthenshire Herald. By Mark Jones, director of Carmarthen-based Clay Shaw Butler chartered accountants and business consultants. The taxman at HMRC has revealed that 10.39 million Self Assessment tax returns were completed ahead of the 31 January deadline. This is more than 92% of the total returns expected, and 150,000 more than last year. More than 89% of taxpayers (9.24 million) filed their return electronically. An automatic £100 penalty applies to those who failed to file their return by 31 January 2016 midnight deadline. HMRC have also revealed the top 10 worst tax return excuses for 2014. They include: 'I had an argument with my wife and went to Italy for five years!' Ruth Owen, HMRC Director General of Personal Tax, said: “Untidy family members and hungry pets are very unlikely to be accepted as a legitimate excuse for completing your tax return late. “We understand that life can be unpredictable and for th...

The latest Phil Evans column from the South Wales Evening Post. Comedian Phil Evans is from Ammanford. He is known as the man who puts the ‘cwtsh’ into comedy. www.philevans.co.uk ------------------------------------------ REMAKE AN ICONIC 1960’S SITCOM? DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT’S WISE, SIR? Unless you’ve just returned from a year on a remote Pacific atoll – and if you have, I’m not atoll jealous – you’ll know that a film, based on a 40-year-old television sitcom, is currently on release in cinemas. “Love Thy Neighbour – The Movie” stars Samuel L. Jackson and Jim Davidson. Just kidding! It’s “Dad’s Army”, which boasts a stellar cast, including Swansea’s Catherine Zeta-Jones as Captain Mainwaring. Just kidding again! She plays a suspected German spy. Since I first heard it was in production I’ve been puzzled why its producers thought a film based on a TV sitcom set in the 1940s, that was first broadcast (in black and white!) in 1968 and ended in 1977, would be a potentially commercial...

The latest 'On Song' column (about the choral scene in and around Llanelli) from the Llanelli Star - There’s a double treat to celebrate St David’s Day this year. Llanelli concert promoter Cerith Owens is planning two concerts to celebrate our Patron Saint’s Day. The first will be on February 27– 7.00pm, Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli. The second will be on March 5 - 7.00pm, Lyric Theatre, Carmarthen. “We’ve managed to create two great ‘bookend’ events around St David’s Day celebrations,” said Mr Owens, who runs Loud Applause Productions. “It means that this year we give people the chance to see two great West Wales events celebrating St David’s Day! The Llanelli gala concert on February 27 will feature Côr Meibion Llanelli Male Choir and Dunvant Male Choir with Côr Ysgol Iau Llangennech, soprano Eirlys Myfanwy Davies, plus the young up and coming singer Jordan Williams. The evening will be hosted by the ever popular BBC TV and radio personality Garry Owen. The Carmarthen celebratio...

Figures show that Carmarthenshire is in the top five performing local authorities in Wales for fly-tipping enforcement. The number of recorded fly-tipping incidents in the county fell from 1,438 in 2013/14 to 1,306 in 2014/15*. Environmental enforcement officers carried out a total of 1208 investigations last year as well as 101 ‘duty of care’ related inspections. Some 245 warning letters were sent out and the authority prosecuted six individuals for fly-tipping offences resulting in fines. Executive Board Member for Environmental and Public Protection Cllr Jim Jones, said: “Carmarthenshire operates a proactive strategy when dealing with fly-tipping. Firstly all our officers are trained and equipped to effectively deal with fly-tipping through investigation and prosecution. “We use covert surveillance to target hotpot areas; this reduces the need for human resources and relies on technology to provide us with the necessary evidence for subsequent prosecutions. “We also work closely w...

A celebration has been held to mark the opening of 13 new apartments for older people in the heart of Llanelli. New tenants were joined by neighbours, friends and guests for an afternoon tea at Waddle’s Court Sheltered Scheme on Friday - an opportunity to celebrate Carmarthenshire County Council’s £1.4million investment to transform a former care home into one-bedroom homes for older people, which was part funded by the Welsh Government. The apartments, linked to the existing Waddle’s Court Sheltered Scheme, are self-contained, giving tenants their own freedom and security; whilst communal areas – including a lounge, library, TV and computer room – give them the opportunity to socialise with friends and neighbours if they wish. Tenants prepared for the celebrations by baking cakes and making decorations, supported by Spice Time Credits volunteers, and took part in a short film produced by volunteer Robert Masterman . The official opening was performed by council chair, Cllr Peter Hug...

Residents in Pencader are being urged to take advantage of a one-off chance to dispose of any household waste they may have. A waste and tyre amnesty is being held in Ysgol Cae’r Felin on Tuesday, February 16 between 8am and 1pm. Most household waste can be taken along including unwanted furniture, carpets and mattresses, electrical items such as fridge-freezers and televisions, as well as black and blue bags. A maximum of four tyres can also be disposed of; however, tractor or lorry tyres will not be accepted. Hazardous waste such as paint, fluorescent tubes, batteries, chemicals, gas bottles and asbestos will not be accepted along with glass, garden waste, trade waste, construction waste and agricultural waste. Residents can pick up a free bag of Merlin’s Magic Compost (while stocks last) courtesy of CWM Environmental Ltd. Half-price compost bins will also be on sale for just £6 instead of the usual £12. Executive Board Member for the Environment Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The aim of ...

Carmarthenshire’s Executive Board member for housing has revealed the authority’s ambitious plan to deliver at least 1,000 affordable homes over the next five years. Cllr Linda Evans and Carmarthenshire County Council officers have drawn up a £60million plan as part of their Affordable Housing Commitment. They also plan to deliver a new-build programme that will further increase the number of homes created, and provide additional investment across four ‘action areas’ - Ammanford and the Amman Valley; Carmarthen and the west; Carmarthenshire rural and market towns; and Llanelli and district. The Affordable Homes Delivery Plan is just starting its journey through the political process, getting its first airing at the  Community Scrutiny Committee on February 12 , before going to Executive Board and Full Council for approval. “We have carried out a comprehensive assessment of need before creating this plan, which has underlined the action we need to take to meet the demand for afford...

There was a very special celebration for the Amman Valley-based Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm at the weekend. The ladies choir celebrated their 20th anniversary with a gala dinner dance at the Stradey Park Hotel, Llanelli. Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm have an enviable reputation for charity work and the proceeds of Saturday’s event were donated to the Kidney Organisation Wales. The final total for the evening is still being counted, but an auction raised £800 for the charity. Auction items included the shoes worn by Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews in the music video of Road Rage, a signed Wales rugby shirt and a signed Swansea City jersey. The evening kicked off with a superb set by Cantata, one of three choirs under the baton of the gifted Côr Lleisiau’r Cwm musical director Catrin Hughes. Chilli Con Carne turned up the heat on the evening before Cantata closed their set with a stunning rendition of the Adele/James Bond hit Skyfall, featuring soloist Nia Rees. The evening was hosted by Heddyr Gregory...

BRITISH THRILLER ‘BY ANY NAME’ AWARDED DOUBLE ACCOLADE BY INTERNATIONAL JURY Welsh production company Tanabi Films, who produced ‘By Any Name’ movie based on the best-selling novel by Katherine John has been awarded Best Feature Film produced in Wales and Best Actress accolade for Samira Mohamed Ali from a plethora of entries around at this year’s prestigious North Wales International Film Festival. Samira Mohamed Ali stars as leading lady Dr Elizabeth Santer, a psychologist, who is taken hostage by John West, which is played by lead Actor and Combat expert Cengiz Dervis. Samira, currently the UK ambassador for Cerebra charity, had to undergo intensive personal training in order to keep up with the physical demands of the role. In an interview today, Samira said: “I am thrilled to have won this award, being able to work in Wales and especially in Swansea and Brecon Beacons has been very exciting as most of my work to date has been overseas. I really enjoyed playing ...

Aberystwyth University historian Dr David Ceri Jones has signed a major contract to publish the correspondence of the 18th Century Transatlantic evangelical revivalist George Whitefield (1714-70). The contract, signed with leading academic publisher Oxford University Press, will see the Whitefield letters published in full for the first time. The first volume, which will be jointly-edited by Dr Jones and Dr Geordan Hammond, is scheduled for publication in 2018, with a further six volumes scheduled to appear at eighteenth month intervals subsequently. In 2014 Dr Jones, Reader in Welsh and Atlantic History at the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University, was awarded £115,527 by the Leverhulme Trust to study the early evangelical movement through a reassessment of Whitefield’s life, context and legacy. Working with research assistant Dr Geordan Hammond, Dr Jones has spent the past year locating, collecting and transcribing the 3000 letters written by Whitefi...

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